ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist Baseball stumbled for the first time in over a month on Friday. After giving-up seven runs in the first two innings against Lyon (Ark.) the Spartans fell to the Scots 9-7 on the road in Batesville, Ark.

Missouri Baptist (30-7, 14-2 AMC) struggled to keep the Scots off the board early, as Donnie Lovelady made an early exit. The Spartan starting pitcher tossed just under two full innings as Lyon pushed seven runs across.

Lyon plated three in the first, though Lovelady recorded two outs in the first three batters of the inning. A walk, a hit and an error, however, led to the first big inning for the home team.

The Spartans did note fare any better in the second as the inning began in the same way. Lovelady retired two quick outs, and with a runner at first and two away, things turned sour for Missouri Baptist. The Scots plated four more, as errors and wild pitches caused issues for the visitors.

With a 7-1 deficit, Missouri Baptist began its comeback in the third. The Spartans scored two in the third, one in the fifth and sixth, and two in the eighth, but were not quite able to complete the come-from-behind bid.

Tim Hergert led the Spartans on the day. The junior went 3-5 with one RBI. Designated hitter Austin Rieman went 2-5 with two RBI while Brian Poupore's lone hit was a solo home run to lead-off the top of the fifth.

With the loss, Missouri Baptist's win streak ended at 19 games.

Missouri Baptist will complete the series on Saturday with a seven/nine inning doubleheader. First pitch in game one is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. in Batesville, Ark.